Episode 5.16 Ratings Posted February 10, 2012

Last night's episode of The Big Bang Theory beat American Idol in key demographics and finished a strong second overall in its time slot. The Big Bang Theory matched its Thursday highs in the adults 18-49 and 18-34 demographics.

"The Vacation Solution" was watched by 16.06 million people, down from last week's the record audience of 16.54m, and scored a 9.7/16 rating in households. The Big Bang Theory finished second behind American Idol in total viewers and households. The Big Bang Theory was the night's most-watched and highest-rated scripted program.

In the important adults 18-49 demographic, The Big Bang Theoryscored a 5.5/16 rating, unchanged from last week. The show also scored a dominant 7.0/18 rating among adults 25-54 and a 4.1/14 in the 18-34 demo. The Big Bang Theory finished first in all key demographics for the common half-hour.

More about the episode

After Sheldon's boss forces him to use his vacation time, he decides to work at Amy's lab and discovers he may be bad at biology. Meanwhile, Howard and Bernadette deal with the issue of a pre-nuptial agreement.

The May 3, 2012 episode of The Big Bang Theory, the penultimate episode of the current season, finished first in the ratings for its time slot and was the night's number #1 program in the key demographics. Read the full story

The April 5, 2012 episode of The Big Bang Theory, featuring guest star Stephen Hawking, beat American Idol and was the night's top program in the key adults 18-49 demographic despite falling to season lows. Read the full story